iPhone 15 Plus review

Where to buy

Would we recommend the iPhone 15 Plus?

The short answer is yes. There's a lot to love about the iPhone 15 Plus, both looks and performance-wise, after it was given a much-needed uplift from its previous status as the awkward middle child. Plus, it now boasts USB-C charging, as does the rest of the iPhone 15 family.

And look, it's by no means the best model in the line-up – that distinction goes to the Pro models. But it's still an excellent phone if you're an Apple enthusiast, like big screens and want a solid battery life and camera system.

The main caveat is that it's still one of the more expensive premium handsets on the market and still only comes with a 60Hz refresh rate.

If you bought any of the models in the iPhone 14 family, you can skip this one for now. Or at least until you see a good discount.

The good stuff: Design

Apple's latest ergonomic design makes the iPhone 15 Plus much more comfortable to hold as opposed to its predecessor. It also has a very premium-like quality – you wouldn't expect anything less at this price point.

You don't feel the bulkiness of the handset as you would have in the past. It gives an almost velvety feel thanks to a matte finish, colour-infused glass back and soft, curved edges that add to its sleek look.

You can get it in black (the option I tested), green, pink, blue and yellow. They're muted pastel colours but very soothing to look at.

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I still prefer the iPhone 15 base model because it's smaller and lighter. I do have relatively small hands so that plays a part in my preference.

But that is just that, my preference. There's a good chance a generous 6.7-inch display is just what you need if you spend time on your phone playing games and streaming TV shows or movies.

The good stuff: Display screen

We'll have to give Apple credit for making thinner bezels so it could cram in extra screen without actually increasing the display size. You'll be served up a warm display with beautiful colours.

The display is also much brighter than before, going up to 2,000 nits outdoors. While lounging by the pool with the sun shining somewhat in my face, I did see reflections but it was also easy to watch a TV series and make out what was happening.

The last praise goes to the Dynamic Island. And look, the iPhone 15 Plus is the last model in my list of iPhone 15 reviews and I have to say, the Dynamic Island has grown on me.

It's the pill-shaped area on the iPhone that was first introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro models to help you track activities and alerts.

I'll admit the name Dynamic Island sounds funkier than it is, but you'll end up appreciating it as a shortcut to some of the apps you've got running in the background such as Spotify. On its own though it won't give you a reason to upgrade your iPhone.

The good stuff: Camera

The iPhone 15 Plus camera serves up beautiful, crisp photos. Aside from a 12MP ultra-wide lens, it also features a 48MP primary camera sensor.

One of the more notable features is the ability to turn certain photos into portrait mode after you've snapped your shot.

If I had to nitpick, you'll find there's no telephoto lens as you get with the Pro models, but the iPhone 15 Plus still delivers quality images.

The good stuff: Battery life

Given just how much we're on our phones these days, I was pretty happy with the iPhone 15 Plus's battery life. Expect it to last a full day unless you're a heavy user playing online games, watching YouTube videos or streaming TV shows for hours on end.

I started my day with a full charge at 7am. I doom-scrolled through social media and then watched an episode of The Magicians during my commute to work. I must have done another hour or so of social media and web browsing the rest of the day, 15 minutes of using Google Maps, made a few quick calls and then watched 3 more episodes. By 11pm, I still had about 29% of battery life.

What we don't love: Refresh rate

Look, the iPhone 15 Plus is a perfectly good phone performance-wise. It runs on the powerful A16 Bionic chipset used on the iPhone 14 Pro models.

It's a fast phone but my main beef is with the 60Hz refresh rate. A refresh rate determines how many times per second your screen resets to display an image. A 60Hz rate means your screen will refresh 60 times every second.

Given the price tag that comes with the iPhone 15 Plus, I would expect a 120Hz refresh rate, similar to what we get with the Google Pixel 8 or Samsung Galaxy 23. It makes you think that Apple is being a bit cheap.

The silver lining here would be you get a better battery life as a result.

What we don't love: No action button or always-on display

I understand the Pro models need to have their points of difference. These 2 features shouldn't be it. They're on par with the concept of having Dynamic Island across the entire iPhone 15 family.

The action button was added in place of the mute switch on the Pro models. Don't get me wrong, I have the iPhone 15 and I agree the mute switch is handy. But I'd like the option of an action button to decide what shortcut I want to access quickly based on my needs.

The always-on display isn't my favourite feature – I think it's a distracting addition but also should have been offered on each model.

iPhones are expensive beasts after all and should give you more than a couple of reasons to want to upgrade.

iPhone 15 Plus: Features and specs

Before you commit to the iPhone 15 Plus, have a look through its specs, features and full pricing to see if it's worth upgrading to.

iPhone 15 Plus price in Australia

The price for the iPhone 15 Plus starts at $1,649 for the 128GB storage variant and goes up to $2,199 for 512GB.

iPhone 15 Plus colours

You can get the iPhone 15 in traditional black alongside pastel shades of pink, yellow, green and blue. The colours are muted but look good in real life.

iPhone 15 Plus camera

The iPhone 15 Plus boasts an advanced dual-camera system. You'll get a 48MP main camera that can support 2x zoom, 12MP ultra-wide and 12MP front camera.

iPhone 15 Plus screen size

The iPhone 15 offers a 6.7‑inch all‑screen OLED display with a 2796x1290-pixel resolution at 460 pixels per inch.

iPhone 15 Plus battery and charging time

You can now use the universal USB-C port to charge your iPhone 15 Plus, which supports USB 2.0.

According to Apple, the iPhone 15 can carry up to 20 hours of video playback or up to 16 hours of streaming video.

Is the iPhone 15 Plus waterproof?

Apple says the iPhone 15 Plus is splash-, water- and dust-resistant and has a rating of IP68. This means theoretically you could take your phone to a maximum depth of 6 metres for up to 30 minutes.

What is the difference between iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 15 Plus?

Here's a look at how the iPhone 15 Plus and its predecessor stack up against each other based on a rundown of their specs and features.

All opinions expressed in this review are based on the author's own experience with the phone. Use this review for informational purposes only.

How to buy the iPhone 15 Plus on a plan

You can buy the iPhone 15 on a 12-, 24- or 36-month repayment period with a mobile plan from Telstra, Optus or Vodafone.

How to buy the iPhone 15 Plus outright

Price

RRP: $1,837.00

Where to buy

From $1,579.00 to $2,350.00 at eBay

Check price at Amazon